Pitchfork

Anticipation is running high for Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is still curiously named, and still hitting shelves July 10 from Merge. Chalk up all the folks going ga-ga in the pre-release frenzy to the efforts of the tireless Texan tunesmiths, who are out, as always, fighting the good fight for hyphen-free indie rock n roll. The underdogs have a smattering of live dates on deck for the summer, setting off tonight in San Francisco.

Though their sound is graciously gimmick-free, their rollout of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is rife with 'em. Not that we're complaining, given the quality of the schwag. Visitors to Spoon's online store can slide their slender frames into a "surprise" new t-shirt, designed by Britt Daniel himself, and the first pressing of Ga will come bundled with Get Nice!, a twelve-track, 22-minute EP packed with new jams, instrumental cuts, and a few early spins through Spoon classics past and future. We've been assured that Ga highlight "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" and Gimme Fiction centerpiece "I Summon You" are the only Get Nice! tracks anyone's ever heard before. Nice!

That generous streak continues at Spoon's dual Portland gigs over the weekend. Dubbed "The Spoon Spring '07 Awareness Benefit Stand", the shows feature the band facetiously throwing their weight (and any scraps of wood) behind the Salvation Army and Sea Otter Conservation League of America. Only, not really. An email from the band reads:

"Canned good and timber donations accepted at the door. Requests to be considered after each show."

Jokers.

Spoonful:

05-24 San Francisco, CA - Popscene
05-25 Portland, OR - Doug Fir
05-26 Portland, OR - Doug Fir
05-27 George, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch! Festival)
06-10 San Diego, CA - KZBT Independence Jam
06-16 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-29 Calgary, Alberta - Sled Island Festival
07-04 Detroit, MI - Comerica CityFest
07-11 New York, NY - Battery Park (River to River)
08-04 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
08-05 Baltimore, MD - Virgin Festival
09-14-16 Austin, TX - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)